As I read through the various 2016 technology predictions lists, I started discovering a common theme: the inclusion of real-time data initiatives as a main priority for IT. Real-time streaming data and analytics is rapidly becoming the lifeblood of today's data-driven economy. Why? Because your customers live in an age of information immediacy.

February is here and it seems that everyone has made their predictions (even me!) for what's ahead for technology in 2016. As I read through the various predictions lists, I started discovering a common theme: the inclusion of real-time data initiatives as a main priority for IT. Real-time streaming data and analytics is rapidly becoming the lifeblood of today's data-driven economy. Why? Because your customers live in an age of information immediacy.

The need to move at the speed of real-time is officially a reality for every business. Here are three trends I believe are driving the real-time big data movement:

1. The Ascendance of Apache SparkApache Spark is no longer just a talking point for IT. A recent survey of IT managers, developers, business intelligence/data analysts and data scientists found that 70 percent of respondents listed Apache Spark as the compute framework they're most interested in deploying. The main reasons behind this interest include:

At it's core, Apache Spark brings the productivity of function programming and the speed of in-memory data processing to Hadoop. Data integration platforms, like Talend Real-Time Big Data, that are built on Spark enable your big data projects to deliver real-time results and value.

Data driven companies like Uber, Yahoo! and Air France are using the big data processing power of Spark to deliver new customer services, react to data and feedback in real-time, and get a leg up on the competition. Think back to the last time you called a taxi. It's been awhile hasn't it? There hundreds of compelling scenarios where Spark can be used - from real-time product recommendations in eCommerce, to optimizing IoT-equipped sensors on airplanes to predict and analyze maintenance issues. When business success is dependent on acting fast, Spark is simply the answer.

2. IoT Is Evolving and Businesses Are Looking to Take AdvantageSpeaking of concepts moving from talking points to true development, IoT is no longer an IT buzzword. According to a recent report, a staggering 55 percent of organizations reported that they were either using IoT systems to collect marketplace operations or data, or planned to do so within a year.

We are living in an age of data abundance due to billions of connected things. However a recent study by McKinsey showed that less than 1 percent of all IoT data is actually being used for decision making today! Capturing the value of data in real-time will shine a light on the true value of the IoT movement.

Companies applying open, native technologies like Talend for real-time big data integration, which requires zero hand-coding, utilizes Spark, Spark Streaming and Spark machine learning, can start to get more insight from their data.

3. Real-Time Data Yields Real Business Results, and That's the Tipping PointWhile technology improvements can start the conversation on being data-driven, businesses need to extract bottom line benefits in order for it to really catch on. The good news is that it's happening.

Today's business must recognize that the Age of the Customer has descended upon us. Customers can gain immediate information on lower costs or better services with the click of a button. To meet this challenge, businesses must leverage real-time information to understand customer needs and deliver them.

Talend is the open source leader in integration software. Through support of the latest big data platforms and innovations, Talend empowers organizations of any size to turn data into a strategic asset and competitive differentiator. Talend efficiently connects data and applications ranging from on-premise to cloud systems, from Hadoop to NoSQL and sensors. Working at big data scale, five-times faster than the competition and at a fifth the cost, Talend enables companies to act with real-time insight about their business and customers.
Over 1,700 organizations trust their data to Talend, including two major credit card companies, five of the top 10 U.S. banks, two of the top five U.S. retailers, and three of the largest media companies in the world. Talend has helped organizations across every sector become data driven and is ready to do the same for you.